A Torchwood Lost Story
by bubblebear79
Summary: Jack tells Esther a funny story about the original TW team.


Disclaimer: The Starz Network, BBC, RTD and various other producers all own Torchwood, not me, wish it was, but NOPE!

Rating: PG

Characters: Jack, Gwen, Esther, Tosh, Owen, Ianto

Summary: Jack tells Esther about the time the old team were turned into kids, in an effort to show her a little light in the darkness.

A/N: In honor of the start of the school year, I present Torchwood: Original Recipe as children, let the insanity fly!

Spoilers: Episode 8 of MD, and a coda for Episode 10 that'll spoil the end of the whole series, but makes up a whole bit of head canon…

Word Count: 5,450

Beta: cookielaura, welcome back!

**A Torchwood Lost Story**

Lying on the bed in a dirty cottage in Scotland, Jack Harkness observed his caregiver, the blonde Esther Drummond, pottering about and gathering supplies to clean and redress his belly wound.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked in a quiet voice. He looked over at the blonde woman who had stopped and leaned against the desk chair, "Esther, Torchwood isn't the CIA; we don't mess about with politics or push paper all day. Anything strange, alien, and even just a bit weird is what we deal in, and most of the time it's terrifying."

"Well, no going back now, is there?" the woman asked with a sad expression. "Anyway, there has to be some light in all this darkness."

Jack struggled upright and nodded at Esther, "Sometimes."

She raised her eyebrow and smiled back at him, "Really? Like what?"

"I can think of one incident, the day most of my team got a second childhood."

Esther burst out laughing, "That's impossible, it sounds like something out of a movie."

"It's all true, I even have photographs."

"So, tell me this story and definitely show me those pictures," the young woman prompted.

Jack motioned for her to come and sit down next to the bed. "It all starts on a rare quiet day in the Hub…"

"_**Should you be playing with that? We still don't know what it does," Ianto asked Owen Harper, the resident Torchwood medic.**_

"_**And what difference does it make to me? Ianto, I'm a zombie, it's not like it's going to morph me into something else. Tosh said that it's probably harmless," Owen replied from where he was crouched over a small sphere.**_

"_**Key word Owen, is probably, probably harmless, not proof positive, probably," stated the young Welshman. "What did she say it was?"**_

"_**I said that it was most likely a medical device; and that Owen could try and test it, but that if there were any energy spikes then he needed to call me," was the quiet response of Torchwood's technological genius. "Have you found anything so far?"**_

"_**That's a rather resounding no, Ms. Sato, it's not registering even the slightest energy fluctuation. So, how did you figure out that it was something medical?"**_

"_**Jack said something similar is common among healers on several planets that he's visited," said the diminutive Japanese woman.**_

"_**Ah, speaking of our illustrious leader, Ianto, where might he be?" **_

"_**Last I checked, he was in his office getting ready for the weekly conference call with the Prime Minister's office."**_

"_**And Ms. Cooper is?"**_

"_**She's right here," said a voice from above the trio of people. "I'm done checking on the results of that latest rift activity," Gwen said as she descended on the lift. "What are you all doing?"**_

"_**Owen's deciding whether or not to test the thing Jack found last night, and Tosh and I are standing a good distance away in case he does do it."**_

"_**Ha, bloody, ha," muttered the doctor good-naturedly. "All right boy and girls, I'm going to give it a firm prod and see if we get any data readings."**_

"_**Gwen, I'd stand back if I was you," Ianto said, pulling the arm of the freckle faced woman.**_

"_**Ah, yes, good idea," she said sheepishly as she inched away from where Owen was standing.**_

"_**Three, two, one, and go!" Owen paused as a violet beam shot out from the sphere and swept the large open space in the Hub. He took a brief moment and looked round, making sure that everything was still intact and that everyone was still standing.**_

"_**Oh, bollocks."**_

"_**OWEN! Tell me you didn't?" I shouted as I stood in my office door.**_

_**The doctor turned to look at me, "You did say that it was probably medical."**_

"_**That's not an excuse to test it without the proper procedures in place. This is the singularity scalpel all over again!"**_

"_**Oi! That thing saved Ms. Cooper's life!"**_

"_**And this thing? How did this affect her?"**_

_**Owen looked down, feeling a small tug on the leg of his trousers. "Well, judging from the fact that she can walk without assistance and seems to understand me, I'd say it turned her into a toddler?"**_

"Wait, what?" Esther interrupted with her characteristically broad smile.

"You heard me, before she was mummy to that beautiful baby girl; our Gwen Cooper got a brief second childhood."

The blonde raised her eyebrows, "So, what happened after that?"

"A lot, it was quite an interesting way to spend the afternoon, chasing after two toddlers and an infant," Jack said with a wistful smile.

"Who was the infant?" asked Esther.

"That was Ianto; whatever the sphere did, it reversed everyone roughly the same amount of years, and Ianto being the youngest already, well, he got a lot younger."

"_**So, all told, Tosh is about three years old, Gwen is about two, and our youngest team member is still, the youngest," I said with a laugh as the squirming baby known as Ianto Jones, made a bold attempt to wriggle his way between the buttons of my shirt. "No, not right now little man, snuggle time is later."**_

"_**Excuse me? What will I be doing with these two while you're cuddled up with him?" asked Owen, trying in vain to hold Toshiko back from climbing up and staring at the patterns appearing on her computer monitors. "Oh for God's sake, really, your tech obsession started this young?"**_

_**The little girl blinked up at Owen after hearing his sharp tone of voice, she tilted her head, opened her mouth, and let out a loud wail of displeasure. " 'PUTER!" she howled. " 'PUTER!"**_

"_**Listen missy, if I let you onto the chair to look at your computer, you are not to touch anything, do you understand?"**_

_**Tiny Toshiko pursed her lips and gave the grumpy doctor a quick nod and grunt of acknowledgement. She scrambled up onto the chair and leaned over to stare at the pretty pictures dancing across the monitors. Heedless of the two grown men staring at her, she let out a contented sigh.**_

"_**That's one sorted," I said with a grin. "Now, I can manage Ianto, but what are we going to do with this little princess?" I asked, pointing down at cherubic Gwen Cooper. The words were no sooner out of my mouth, when the chubby little girl let go of Owen's trouser leg and toddled to where I was standing and raised her arms. **_

"_**Uppy?" she asked me, blinking her large brown eyes.**_

"_**My arms are full sweetheart, but if I sit down over here, you and Ianto can both sit with me. Come and follow Uncle Jack, then you can have a cuddle. There's a good girl," I cooed, leading the toddler towards the battered sofa.**_

"_**Disgusting," spat Owen. "I'm going out, I don't know how long we're going to be stuck with them this way, but we ought to be prepared for the long haul."**_

"_**That's a good idea, take the SUV and make sure to get everything that you can possibly think of us needing."**_

_**The medic nodded, and swept from the Hub with barely a backward glance, muttering to himself about immortal men gone soft in the head from age. **_

_**Gwen patted my leg and pointed after Owen, "Bye-bye?"**_

"_**That's right, Uncle Owen went bye-bye so he could get you, Tosh, and Ianto some new clothes, and probably you and Ianto some nappies."**_

_**At the word 'nappy', Gwen began to shake her head, "NO!"**_

"_**Well if not for you, then Uncle Owen is going to get nappies for Ianto. He's a baby, and he can't tell me when he needs the toilet. Can you tell me when you need to go?" **_

_**The little girl nodded her head in response, and then suddenly started squirming on my lap. "Go?"**_

_**I sighed and closed my eyes, then opened them as I heard the cog door start to roll back again. "Owen! Owen, since this is your fault, you get to take dear little Miss Cooper to the loo."**_

"_**What? No! Jack, I just came back for the keys."**_

"_**Owen, I'm only going to say this one more time, you did this, you get to deal with the fallout. Now, Gwen, go and see Uncle Owen, he'll take you to the loo."**_

"_**Down?"**_

"_**Yes, Gwen, get down and go see Uncle Owen."**_

"_**I go to potty," said Toshiko, suddenly turning around on the chair to face me.**_

"_**You too?" I asked.**_

_**The toddler nodded and scrambled down, running over to where Owen was standing openmouthed. "Potty, Uncle Owen? Potty now?"**_

"_**Yeah, yeah, fine," groaned the doctor, taking both little girls' hands in his, and leading them out of the main area of the Hub.**_

_**I stared after them, and then down at a dark haired baby Ianto, who was drooling down the front of my shirt. "Hey! Close those floodgates, I haven't picked up my dry cleaning, and all my spare shirts are at your flat." **_

_**I grinned as he gave me a toothless and dimpled smile, "What a face!" I stood up and wandered back into my office, and dropped down into my chair. I started to lift Ianto repeatedly up and down over my head. "You like that, don't you? Yeah, I can see by your smile that you do."**_

_**I laughed as he let out a squeal of excitement and shoved his little fist into his mouth. "I hope the CCTV is working, I want evidence of all of this." I settled Ianto back into my arms and stood up, "Come on little one, you have to be getting hungry. Let's go and see what you might eat." I walked out of my office and towards the little kitchen area, I heard Owen bringing Gwen and Toshiko back before I saw them start to come up the stairs. "So, did you survive?"**_

"_**Well, for the record, there is one good thing about being dead, not being able to smell."**_

" '_**Tinky," giggled little Toshiko. "I 'tinky, Gwen 'tinky!"**_

"_**So noted," I said with a big smile. "Are both of you girls hungry?"**_

"_**I have biscuit please?" **_

"_**I think there might be some hiding in the cupboards," I said, holding out one hand to her. "Come with me."**_

_**Tosh toddled after me, giggling as Ianto leaned out of my arms as we entered the kitchen. "Coffee!"**_

_**I blinked and looked down at her, "What?"**_

"_**Coffee! Baby want coffee!"**_

"_**No he doesn't," scoffed Owen from behind her. "He's a baby, he's got no idea what's going on."**_

"_**I wouldn't be too sure about that, look at where he's trying to squirm out of my arms."**_

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Esther. "What's the coffee thing?"

Jack smiled, "Ianto was the only one allowed to touch the coffee maker. He banned the rest of us after his second day on the job. He was a genius…" he paused, "…in so many ways."

"But was he really trying to reach the coffee machine?"

"Yeah, but because it was shiny," answered Jack, "I think."

"How long did the three of them stay young?" asked Esther, "and how is Owen dead and not a toddler like the others?"

"Owen's case is a long and sad story. He jumped in front of a bullet meant for someone else, but I couldn't let him go. I figured out a way to bring him back, and as it was whenever I tried to do something that went against the laws of nature, it went wrong. He didn't get changed because he was already gone in a way."

The young woman shook her head, "If only he'd stayed alive a little longer."

Jack nodded shortly, "The same could be said for all of them, Tosh, Owen, and Ianto, if only."

Esther could see that her friend was starting to lose himself in the darkness once again, "Come on Jack, you haven't answered my other question, how long did they stay young?"

The older man's smile brightened slightly, "It took the rest of the day for Owen to figure out how to fix everything, and after all three of them woke up, the afternoon was pretty funny."

"_**Come on Gwen, time for a lie down," Owen pleaded. He knelt in front of the ratty sofa and nodded earnestly at the toddler, who was sitting comfortably against a pillow, and clutching a cup of water in her tiny hands.**_

_**The little brunette shook her head and blinked her doe eyes, "NO!" She slid down from the couch and waddled towards my office. "NO NAP!"**_

_**At hearing her, I stepped out of the office, where I had been encouraging Tosh to have a rest down in my bunk. "Gwen, come and have a nap with Toshiko, there's a good girl."**_

"_**Proof yet again, she's completely in love with you."**_

_**I snorted, "Owen, that's not it."**_

"_**Oh yeah, then why doesn't she do anything I ask her to do?"**_

"_**I've raised a family, I know how to talk to children, that's all it is," I said, catching Gwen's hand as she stumbled up the steps. "Come on then, little one, let's get you down for a nap. You're going to take a rest on Uncle Jack's bed."**_

"_**YAY!"**_

"_**Told you," the doctor snarked from behind me.**_

"_**Quiet!" I snapped, concentrating on the wiggling baby in my arms, and the chubby toddler clinging to my hand. I led Gwen to the hatch in the corner of my office that led to my bunk. I climbed down slowly with one arm and placed Ianto on the bed, trying to shush his steadily increasing whimpers as I walked back to the ladder. I scrambled halfway up and pulled Gwen down into the room. She rubbed her eyes and yawned at me as I laid her down on the bed.**_

"_**No nap," she whispered. **_

"_**Ah, but see, you're tired, you and Tosh are very tired, and Uncle Jack is going to stay with you both until you fall asleep, and I'll be right here when you both wake up. But now it's time to close your eyes and lay down, that's right," I whispered, watching as Gwen flopped over next to Toshiko. I lifted Ianto off of the bed and pulled the blankets over my two drowsy girls. "Come on little man; let's have a nap upstairs in my office."**_

_**Ianto's little face brightened visibly at being picked up again, he squealed and pressed himself firmly against my chest. **_

"_**It's not Gwen that's in love with me; it's you, isn't it?" I asked quietly, and rested my head on top of his. I climbed up the ladder into the office, and sat down in my chair. **_

"_**Listen, Jack, I was out of line," Owen said from the doorway.**_

"_**You think?"**_

"_**I'll go and pick up the supplies now, are you sure the two of them are okay in your, er, bunker?"**_

"_**Bedroom, and yes they are. I can spare an old vest to make a cloth nappy for this one, but it won't last long, so hurry up."**_

"_**Yes sir," Owen said and raced out the door.**_

"_**Now that the grumpy doctor's gone, how about we have that snuggle I promised you?" I stood and tried to walk out of my office, but Ianto didn't let me get past the where my greatcoat was hanging up. He babbled happily when I managed to slip it on so he could rest his head against it. **_

"_**Talk about obsessions starting young," I said softly. "That's okay, I know that's the only reason you like me."**_

_**I kept talking as I walked round my office, rubbing Ianto's little back and whispering a made up fairy tale in his ear. "So one day, the good King Jack was all alone hunting for trolls in his kingdom when one appeared in front of him. He tried to subdue the troll, but it managed to hurt him really badly, and King Jack knew he was in trouble. He was trying very hard to fight the evil troll, but the good king knew if he didn't get any help, he was going to die. Suddenly the evil creature roared in pain and letting go of the king, it moved off towards the trees to find who had hurt it. Good King Jack stood up and got a good look at who had saved his life, it was a handsome knight! The strong knight fought the evil troll and scared it away. Then the brave knight went to help the king get back to his castle."**_

_**I looked down and noticed that he had fallen asleep, one tiny fist wedged in his mouth, and the other clutching a handful of greatcoat. "And the handsome knight and good King Jack went off to live happily ever after," I whispered. "Half-robots in metal bikinis notwithstanding."**_

"Awww, a troll? And a half of a robot in a metal bikini?"

Jack laughed, "Actually, that was a heavily edited version of how I first met Ianto. I was trying to corral an errant weevil, a type of alien that lived in Cardiff's sewers. I traced one of them to the local park, but it had gotten the jump on me before Ianto beat it off with a tree branch. And we really don't talk about the half-robot, it wasn't one of our finest episodes."

"So, what else happened?"

"_**Did you go on a bit of shopping bender?" I asked Owen, watching with a smile as he struggled through the door of the Hub with several carrier bags in each hand.**_

"_**That would be an understatement; I can't believe just how much stuff you need for babies. I got nappies, clothes, pyjamas, bottles, shoes, toys, carseats, wipes, changing mats; it's completely mad."**_

"_**Give me the bag with the nappies, this one's been through two of my old vests, and he's working on a third," I said to the doctor, and held out one hand. Ianto was patting my face, and wriggling in a way that I had quickly learned meant he either needed changing now, or was going to need it soon. Owen quickly passed me one of the bags and I darted over to the sofa. **_

"_**OI! We still sit there!"**_

"_**Sofas can be cleaned," I tossed over my shoulder as I dove into the bag and found a changing mat. I tore the package open and unfolded it on the couch. "Just a minute more buddy, we'll get you nice and tidied up."**_

_**I laid Ianto down and quickly stripped off the makeshift nappy; he cooed at me and wiggled his now free legs. "Who knew you were such an exhibitionist?" **_

_**Ianto's smile took on an almost cheeky edge as he continued to kick his legs at me. "What are you gearing up to do? Huh? Are you getting ready to – WHOA!" I shouted. I ducked quickly as what he had been working on streamed past my head. **_

"_**You naughty little bugger," I laughed, covering him quickly with a flannel. "Are you done?" I lifted the cloth slowly and started cleaning him up, and then wrapped him tightly in a fresh nappy. "Owen? Come and hold him for a minute, I've got to go and wash my hands."**_

"_**Sure, if he'll let me," Owen replied, scooping Ianto off the couch. The doctor's fears were realized as the baby let out a horrified wail, "Hurry up Jack! He knows I'm not you."**_

"_**I'm coming, I'm coming," I said, racing back up from the medical bay. "Calm down little guy, I'm right here. Owen, get working on fixing that thing, Tosh and Gwen will be awake soon, and I don't fancy chasing two toddlers and a baby around a place loaded with hazards."**_

"_**Right," he said, handing Ianto back to me. "Have you thought about what'll happen in the evening when Gwen doesn't make it home to her husband?"**_

"_**No, because you're going to have it fixed by then!" I said firmly. "Get to work, I'll see to the rest of them."**_

_**Not more than an hour later, Tosh and Gwen stirred from in my bunk. After several attempts, and both girls streaking naked through the Hub, repeatedly, I managed to get them into better fitting clothes. Toshiko was now dressed in a pink romper, and happily back to watching her computer monitors. Gwen, now clothed in a red jumper and trousers was sitting on the sofa and scribbling contentedly on a piece of paper. **_

_**Ianto though, had firmly attached himself to my chest and was now gnawing away at my collarbone. I wandered round the Hub, talking endlessly to him, and the strange part about the whole thing was that I knew Ianto was listening to everything I was saying.**_

"_**Should we see if you-know-who will do a fly-by? I can spray mean Uncle Owen with her protein sauce, and then she can give him a nibble? What do you think?"**_

"_**OI!"**_

_**I chuckled, "Uh oh, busted! How's your research going? Any luck?"**_

"_**I still don't know, but my best guess is that it's a toy, nothing medical, just a plain old, garden variety toy."**_

"_**Yeah, well, keep working on how to reverse it."**_

"_**Yummy?" said a little voice from behind me.**_

_**I turned and smiled down at Gwen, "Are you hungry?"**_

"_**Hungry!" she chirped.**_

"_**How about a biscuit?" I asked her.**_

"_**YAY!" she said, clapping her hands. **_

"_**Okay, go back and sit on the couch and Uncle Jack will get you and Toshiko some treats."**_

"_**Toshiko gets treats too?" asked the little girl, peeking out from around her computers.**_

"_**Why don't you come with me and pick them out, that way you can choose first," I told her. "Come on." I smiled as she hopped down and walked with me into the kitchen. **_

_**Ten minutes later we were back in the main area, and everyone was taking a brief break, biscuits in hand. "Up you come Tosh, back into your chair."**_

"_**Nummy, nummy," giggled Tosh, with her hands full of soft chocolate biscuits."Num, num, num, num."**_

"_**If the CCTV hasn't been recording this, Uncle Jack is gonna fire you, my princess."**_

_**Watching Toshiko devour her snack even made the normally grumpy Owen smile. "If she really understood what was going on, she'd be so mortified that she'd never come back here."**_

_**I laughed and nodded, "I know, but these three are a distraction to you, so why don't I take them to the conference room by way of the hothouse, etc. Give them some exercise and hopefully convince them to take another nap. Toshiko, would you and Gwen like to go and watch a movie in the boardroom? We could take the long way around, go for a bit of a walk?"**_

_**The little girl grinned, and I got a sudden flash of the Toshiko that I had known for the past four years: strong, brave, brilliant, and more than just a bit devilish. It was only her loyalty to me that kept her from overthrowing Torchwood, and then the world. **_

"_**Toshiko wants to play!"**_

"_**What would you like to play?"**_

"_**Hide and seek, Toshiko wants to play hide and seek. I go!" she shouted, jumping down from her chair, biscuits abandoned on the floor. "One, two, three, Toshiko go NOW!"**_

_**At the sight of her chubby little legs propelling her through the Hub, I fell back against the couch cushions and roared with laughter. I couldn't help but compare her speeding feet to her more measured adult gait, and her usual high heels. The resulting image was toddler Tosh clad in her pink romper, with four inch black patent leather pumps.**_

"_**Okay, Tosh, I'm counting to ten…"**_

"_**Count firty!" she shouted back. **_

_**I laughed again, "Owen, apparently I'm now engaged in a game of hide and seek. Why don't you try and get Gwen to watch television through the computer? I have to go and catch our devious little ninja."**_

"_**All right, come here poppet. Uncle Owen is going to find a programme for you to watch. You stay right on this chair and look at the pretty pictures on the computer," Owen said as he lifted Gwen, biscuit crumbs and all up onto the chair.**_

_**I stood up and walked slowly in the direction of where Toshiko had ran off to. "I'm coming to get you little Tosh. I'm going to catch you, and give you so many tickles that you're not going to know what to do. Or maybe I'll just catch you, and make you watch as I take away all of your computers."**_

_**A sharp intake of breath from down the corridor into the archives was all I needed to hear. "Uh oh, I hear you, and I'm coming to get you."**_

_**Giggles floated down the hallway, "No find Tosh!"**_

"_**I will, I will find you!"**_

"_**No, no find Tosh!"**_

_**I tiptoed towards where I heard her voice, "I'm going to get you."**_

"_**Nope!"**_

_**Ianto decided to get in on the game and let out a loud giggle. I stopped and jostled him, "What do you think? Do you think we'll find Toshiko?"**_

"_**Baby not find me! Uncle Jack not find me! Tosh best hider EVER!"**_

"_**I don't think so," I said, creeping down the hallway. "Is Tosh hiding in here?" I asked, throwing open the door to a broom closet.**_

"_**No, no Tosh!"**_

_**I closed the door to the closet, "Where could Tosh be? Where, oh where could my little Toshiko…BE!" I pulled open the door to a supply closet and laughed, seeing her curled up on the shelf next to boxes of paper clips, pens and pencils. "That was a good job, but you can't be running round in here, it's not safe."**_

"_**I careful," Tosh replied. "I careful, I know no touch."**_

"_**Yes, I know you're smart enough to know what's okay to touch and what's not, but the Hub is a scary place for a little one like yourself. There might be something that looks okay to touch, but then hurts you really badly, or changes you into something else."**_

"_**Like Uncle Owen and ball?"**_

_**I shook my head, there was my clever girl, working it out all on her own that Owen had touched something that he wasn't supposed to touch. **_

"_**Yes, just like that. Now, come out of there and walk with me and Ianto to the conference room. We'll watch a movie."**_

"_**Tosh don't want to watch a movie, Tosh want to play again!"**_

"_**Does Tosh want to go and meet a dinosaur?"**_

"_**What dat?" she asked, jumping down. "A new 'puter?"**_

"_**No, a dinosaur is not a new type of computer. She lives here, up on the levels above Uncle Owen's hothouse. Should we go and see her?"**_

_**Tosh tilted her head from side to side before giving me a short nod, "I wanna see! Baby go see dinosaur too?"**_

"_**Well, seeing as how I can't put him down, I think that yes he's going to see the dinosaur," I told her as I led her up one of the myriad staircases to the upper levels.**_

"_**Baby safe?"**_

_**I laughed, "I will keep him safe."**_

"_**Tosh be safe?"**_

_**I grinned, "Of course I will keep you safe, but the dinosaur doesn't eat little children or babies. She just eats grumpy doctors!"**_

"_**Uh oh, Uncle Owen in trouble!" giggled Toshiko.**_

"_**I can hear you," a voice snapped in my ear.**_

"_**I know you can, so you'd better have that thing working," I hissed.**_

"_**Bring them back here, I do have an idea."**_

"_**It better be something other than, 'let's squeeze it because we poked it', otherwise I'm not bringing them down."**_

"_**Jack, it's the best lead we've got. The only person who can search down in the archives is about six months old, the only OTHER person who could help him is three years old. We're at the end of the line here."**_

_**I growled, startling Ianto who had drifted off to sleep on my chest. "Sorry buddy, looks like we're going to head back downstairs."**_

"_**No dinosaur?" asked Toshiko.**_

"_**Sorry sweetheart, no dinosaur," I replied. I grabbed her hand and started leading her down the stairs again. "But hopefully I'll get to see my grown up friends soon." **_

_**We walked into the main area of the Hub to where Owen was standing, a very sleepy Gwen on his hip. "About time, put them on the couch over here."**_

"_**Shouldn't we change them into their old clothes?" I asked, resting my hand on Toshiko's head. "I know these two are pretty modest."**_

"_**That's a good idea," the doctor said, plunking Gwen down on the sofa. "Bring the clothes out here and we'll get them all changed."**_

"_**Tosh, sweetheart, stay with Uncle Owen, Ianto and I will be right back," I said, darting up the steps into my office and grabbing the bag where I had stuffed all of their clothes. "Well buddy, looks like I get the Ianto that's REALLY fun to play with back sooner than I thought, but I am going to miss this miniature version. You make a very cute baby." **_

_**I walked to the door of my office and threw the clothes down to Owen, "Get them dressed and taken care of, I'll get this one dressed. We can put him right once the girls are done."**_

"_**Fine," he replied. "Close the door to your office, I'll come and get you when it's done."**_

"_**If it works," I muttered under my breath. I closed the door and sat down on the corner of my desk, Ianto with his head resting against my shoulder and one tiny hand bunched in my shirt.**_

"_**Oh my GOD, would you look at him?"**_

_**I looked up to find Gwen Cooper standing in my office doorway. She was rumpled, but otherwise okay.**_

"_**All right Gwen?" I asked, knowing that I wasn't even close to being her focus at the moment. **_

"_**Huh? Yeah, you?" she mumbled distractedly. "Before you change him back, can I hold him? Please?"**_

_**I chuckled and kissed the top of Ianto's head, "Looks like I've got to say goodbye now, Auntie Gwen wants a cuddle." I handed him over and watched as Gwen's face lit up, "Rhys has got to get you up the duff and QUICK!"**_

"_**Shut it! Well hello sweetheart, aren't you just precious? My goodness, aren't you adorable?"**_

"_**Is that Ianto?" a voice said from behind Gwen. Toshiko stepped through the doorway and smiled at the giggling baby in the Welsh woman's arms. "Oh, you are so cute!"**_

"_**Do you want to hold him?"**_

"_**Jack? Jack? Are we going to change him back or leave him like this to be fawned over by the girls?"**_

"_**Fawned over," chimed both Tosh and Gwen.**_

"_**Changed back! He's mine to fawn over," I said with a smile.**_

"_**Okay, girls, give him here, I'll get him dressed and changed back double quick. No, you can't cry, and no you can't have Jack. Ianto, it's time to get back to the grown up world."**_

"Did you allow him to be changed back?" Esther asked him with a big smile.

Jack patted her hand, "Of course I did. He was so embarrassed though, that he ran home and I didn't see him until the next morning."

"And what did he come back into the Hub to find?"

The older man at least had the grace to blush; he looked at his hands and laughed softly. "The walls covered in pictures of all of them as babies. Gods, they were all so adorable."

"Have you got those pictures for me to look at?" Esther asked.

"Check my bag," he answered. The next two hours were spent sitting together and staring at photographs of his old team in one of their better moments.

"Seems like there's plenty of light in this mess, I think I'll give it a shot. But for now, roll up your sleeve," said the blonde, brandishing a needle.

"There you go again, little vampire," Jack teased.

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One Year Later

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"Where are we going?" asked Gwen. She had both hands on her daughter's pushchair and was following Jack down a deserted side street in Cardiff.

"You'll see," he replied. "Someone needs to talk to us, and it's important. Ah! We're here." He reached out and knocked on a wooden door that had seen better days.

"Are you sure it's safe for Anwen to be here then?"

"Of course, Josie wouldn't allow this precious girl to be hurt."

"Josie? Who's Josie?" asked Gwen, watching as the door opened. "Oh my God, Esther?"


End file.
